Australian jailed for terrorism tried to break Gaza blockade

Australian who worked with Al Qaeda was also involved with Islamic extremists in the violent 2010 Gaza flotilla incident.

By World Israel News Staff

A Melbourne man arrested for allegedly recruiting jihadist terrorists and who was involved in the violent Mavi Marmara incident is on the U.S. terror watch list, the Australia/Israel Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) reported on its website.

Australia citizens Ahmed Luqman Talib and Gabriel Crazzi were arrested by Australia Federal Police and face numerous charges related to recruiting people and trying to send them to fight with jihadi terrorists in the Middle East.

Talib is charged with one count of preparations for foreign incursions into foreign states for purpose of engaging in hostile activities, while Crazzi is facing several related charges. Both are suspected of having contacts with the Jabhat al-Nusra Islamic terror group, which is known to have recruited an Australian man named Ahmed Succarieh who carried out a suicide bombing in Syria in 2013.

Talib was denied bail by the Brisbane Magistrate’s Court and remains behind bars, the Brisbane Times reported.

In 2020, Talib was placed on the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office terror list as a designated financial facilitator for the Al-Qaeda terror organization – the group responsible for the 9/11 terror attacks.

“Talib is involved in operational and facilitation activities on behalf of al-Qaeda-linked groups, including providing assistance in the movement of individuals and finances internationally in furtherance of al-Qaeda objectives,” the Treasury Department report said.

Talib’s terror history dates back to at least 2010 when he, his wife and sister were the only Australians on board the Turkish vessel Mavi Marmara, which tried to break the legal Israeli sea blockade of Gaza .

The Marmara was one of six boats full of anti-Israel activists and terrorists who sailed from Turkey in a PR stunt to try and “break” Israel’s lawful maritime blockade on the Gaza Strip.

The flotilla was organized by the Turkish Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief, known by its initials IHH, which the U.S. government had designated “an organization created by Hamas leadership to transfer funds to the terrorist organization.”

Talib was among those injured when passengers violently attacked IDF troops who stopped the vessels.

A UN report into the incident confirmed that flotilla passengers formed organized and violent resistance against the IDF soldiers, AIJAC reported, adding that when the Talibs returned to Australia after the incident, they went on a speaking tour “where they condemned Israel and the IDF in the strongest terms, calling the response a ‘slaughter.’”